Corey Abbott

Experts Analysis

Eastern Deadline Grades

The NHL trade deadline came and went on February 27th without very much in the way of movement. In the past, we have grown accustomed to a plethora of deals for rental-type players, but with several teams in the playoff hunt there weren't as many sellers and plenty of buyers with assets that they were reluctant to move. In the case of some potential deals, the price was said to be too high to accommodate. Still, a few organizations were able to accomplish what they wanted leading up to the deadline over this past month and we will examine how they did:

The Boston Bruins are believed to be favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference during the post-season, so tweaks to bring in some depth were expected. Mike Mottau and Greg Zanon supply aid on the back end and one of them could draw into the lineup right away if Johnny Boychuk misses time with what might be a concussion. Brian Rolston provides a veteran presence up front that the team is probably hoping will help fill the void left by Mark Recchi's retirement.

Buffalo made a surprising splash on deadline day when they acquired Cody Hodgson, along with defenseman Alexander Sulzer, from Vancouver for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Hodgson is going from a team with a lot of depth at center to one where he will likely be counted on heavily in a top-six role. Hodgson had been making his mark, as a rookie, prior to this move and joining the Sabres represents a great opportunity for him to take the next step forward. Buffalo also managed to land a first-rounder for depth pivot Paul Gaustad by including their fourth-round choice and while they will miss his grit and faceoff work, the return was definitely worth it.

Grade: A+

Carolina Hurricanes

Added: N/A

Lost: N/A

The Hurricanes didn't unload any of their players during the month of February because they were busy taking their prime trade targets off the market. Tuomo Ruutu was locked up just ahead of trade deadline time and Tim Gleason received his extension in January. Carolina is also working hard to re-sign stay-at-home rearguard Bryan Allen. It is surprising that pending unrestricted free agent Jaroslav Spacek didn't end up with a new team though. The ability to retain important players does factor into their grade, but the lack of improvement on a roster currently in the bottom part of the league hurts their overall evaluation.

The Panthers added a scorer in Wojtek Wolski, who scored in his debut with the club last weekend, and a grinder in Jerred Smithson, who is effective in the faceoff circle, to assist them in their playoff push down the stretch. Florida added to their team, without giving anybody up on their active roster, and they chose to stand pat on deadline day after making their moves the week before.

The Canadiens and Predators pulled off a pair of deals in February. They got their conditional fifth-round selection back in the Kostitsyn trade after it was included in the Hal Gill deal. Montreal also brought in minor-league prospect Blake Geoffrion. Shipping out underachiever Andrei Kostitsyn was expected, but the Canadiens had other players on their team that were rumored to be up for grabs that stayed put. Pending UFAs Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche and Travis Moen were talked about going into the deadline, but none of them were moved. The Canadiens also picked up tough guy Brad Staubitz from Minnesota off re-entry waivers. It wasn't a terrible showing for Habs, but the Eastern Conference cellar dweller probably would've benefited from more selling.

The Devils were rumored to be in the running for Minnesota's Marek Zidlicky a week before they pulled the trigger to acquire him. The disgruntled defenseman was unhappy with how he was being handled by the Wild, so they facilitated the move after scratching him a few times from the lineup. New Jersey put together a large package of players and picks to land Zidlicky, but they didn't trade much from their active roster and they landed the best player in the deal. He should help their power play for the remainder of the year.

The Islanders weren't projected to do much of anything on deadline day despite the trade rumors circulating goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. General Manager Garth Snow has said that he wants to re-sign Nabokov and the 36-year-old keeper is open to staying on Long Island. Al Montoya was the puck-stopper reported to be in play, but nothing materialized on that front. New York wasn't idle on February 27th though, as they sent spare defenseman Mike Mottau and veteran winger Brian Rolston to Boston for a pair of minor-leaguers.

The NHL trade deadline came and went on February 27th without very much in the way of movement. In the past, we have grown accustomed to a plethora of deals for rental-type players, but with several teams in the playoff hunt there weren't as many sellers and plenty of buyers with assets that they were reluctant to move. In the case of some potential deals, the price was said to be too high to accommodate. Still, a few organizations were able to accomplish what they wanted leading up to the deadline over this past month and we will examine how they did:

The Boston Bruins are believed to be favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference during the post-season, so tweaks to bring in some depth were expected. Mike Mottau and Greg Zanon supply aid on the back end and one of them could draw into the lineup right away if Johnny Boychuk misses time with what might be a concussion. Brian Rolston provides a veteran presence up front that the team is probably hoping will help fill the void left by Mark Recchi's retirement.

Buffalo made a surprising splash on deadline day when they acquired Cody Hodgson, along with defenseman Alexander Sulzer, from Vancouver for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Hodgson is going from a team with a lot of depth at center to one where he will likely be counted on heavily in a top-six role. Hodgson had been making his mark, as a rookie, prior to this move and joining the Sabres represents a great opportunity for him to take the next step forward. Buffalo also managed to land a first-rounder for depth pivot Paul Gaustad by including their fourth-round choice and while they will miss his grit and faceoff work, the return was definitely worth it.

Grade: A+

Carolina Hurricanes

Added: N/A

Lost: N/A

The Hurricanes didn't unload any of their players during the month of February because they were busy taking their prime trade targets off the market. Tuomo Ruutu was locked up just ahead of trade deadline time and Tim Gleason received his extension in January. Carolina is also working hard to re-sign stay-at-home rearguard Bryan Allen. It is surprising that pending unrestricted free agent Jaroslav Spacek didn't end up with a new team though. The ability to retain important players does factor into their grade, but the lack of improvement on a roster currently in the bottom part of the league hurts their overall evaluation.

The Panthers added a scorer in Wojtek Wolski, who scored in his debut with the club last weekend, and a grinder in Jerred Smithson, who is effective in the faceoff circle, to assist them in their playoff push down the stretch. Florida added to their team, without giving anybody up on their active roster, and they chose to stand pat on deadline day after making their moves the week before.

The Canadiens and Predators pulled off a pair of deals in February. They got their conditional fifth-round selection back in the Kostitsyn trade after it was included in the Hal Gill deal. Montreal also brought in minor-league prospect Blake Geoffrion. Shipping out underachiever Andrei Kostitsyn was expected, but the Canadiens had other players on their team that were rumored to be up for grabs that stayed put. Pending UFAs Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche and Travis Moen were talked about going into the deadline, but none of them were moved. The Canadiens also picked up tough guy Brad Staubitz from Minnesota off re-entry waivers. It wasn't a terrible showing for Habs, but the Eastern Conference cellar dweller probably would've benefited from more selling.

The Devils were rumored to be in the running for Minnesota's Marek Zidlicky a week before they pulled the trigger to acquire him. The disgruntled defenseman was unhappy with how he was being handled by the Wild, so they facilitated the move after scratching him a few times from the lineup. New Jersey put together a large package of players and picks to land Zidlicky, but they didn't trade much from their active roster and they landed the best player in the deal. He should help their power play for the remainder of the year.

The Islanders weren't projected to do much of anything on deadline day despite the trade rumors circulating goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. General Manager Garth Snow has said that he wants to re-sign Nabokov and the 36-year-old keeper is open to staying on Long Island. Al Montoya was the puck-stopper reported to be in play, but nothing materialized on that front. New York wasn't idle on February 27th though, as they sent spare defenseman Mike Mottau and veteran winger Brian Rolston to Boston for a pair of minor-leaguers.

The Rangers were thought to be one of the front-runners for Columbus' star player Rick Nash, but they didn't want to meet the Blue Jackets' steep price tag to get the deal done. When the dust settled the Blueshirts added a towering depth defender in John Scott and they acquired a pair of players to help their minor-league affiliate in Connecticut.

Quite a reversal for the Senators at this year's trade deadline compared to last year when they were selling off glue players . Ottawa is in the thick of the battle for a playoff spot, so they kept relatively silent on the trade front. They did pull off one deal on Monday by sending Brian Lee to Tampa Bay in exchange for fellow defenseman Matt Gilroy. Both players have gone relatively unnoticed in most circles despite the fact that they are playing fairly well this season. Gilroy adds another puck mover to the Senators' blueline and he should get time on the team's third pairing. They also received minor-league goalie Ben Bishop for a draft pick to help add organizational depth in the crease, which they needed as insurance due to Craig Anderson's hand injury.

Philadelphia moved picks and prospects in February before deadline day for a pair of defensemen and a minor-league forward. Kubina and Grossman were brought in to help shore up a Flyers' defensive corps that has played the majority of the 2011-12 campaign without captain Chris Pronger. Philadelphia fielded calls from other organizations for James van Riemdsyk, but it should come as no surprise that nothing happened there.

Grade: B+

Pittsburgh Penguins

Added: N/A

Lost: N/A

The Penguins didn't do anything of note in February when it came to adding or subtracting players from their roster. They are waiting patiently for a possible return of superstar captain Sidney Crosby. If he is able to come back before the end of the regular or in the post-season then that would have a greater impact than anything any other team did or could do in the trade market. However, Pittsburgh probably should've looked harder into obtaining some defensive assistance because of the struggles of some of their key blueliners this year.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the only true seller this year and general manager Steve Yzerman was busy making moves as a result. He stockpiled picks and prospects in exchange for some roster players. Brian Lee and Mike Commodore have a chance to close out the season with the Bolts, but every other move was made with the future in mind and they did pretty well for themselves.

Toronto made a couple of trades to bolster their minor-league franchise, but other than that it was a quiet day in Leaf land. The Buds made it known that Mikhail Grabovski wouldn't be dealt elsewhere on Monday because they are optimistic about re-signing him and General Manager Brian Burke commented that he did not want to deconstruct a club that he just put together. While some may be disappointed with the decision, it shows that the Toronto GM isn't panicking despite the team's recent funk and the acquisition of former first-round selection Carter Ashton should be viewed as a solid "hockey trade."

The Capitals pulled off that AHL deal at the beginning of February and remained silent leading up to the deadline despite rumors surrounding veterans Roman Hamrlik and Mike Knuble. Washington placed top center Nicklas Backstrom on long-term injured reserve earlier in the day in case a deal presented itself, but nothing ended up happening.

Winnipeg picked defenseman Grant Clitsome off waivers from Columbus on Monday, which made pending unrestricted free agent Johnny Oduya expendable. He was sent to Chicago for a pair of draft picks and Macenauer was acquired from Anaheim earlier this month in a minor-league transaction. The Jets didn't have many moves to make going into the deadline, but they did end up with some value when it was all said and done.